Tropical Rainforest Essay

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Tropical Rainforest Case Study: Papua New Guinea Vocabulary Conservation: to manage the environment in such a way that it will be protected from change. Exploitation: when the environment is used in such a way that it is destroyed and will be of no use to future generations. Sustainable development: the development of an area using techniques and approaches that will help to protect the environment for the future. Location of the case study Rainforest Exploitation Papua New Guinea (PNG) possesses one of the planet's largest remaining tropical rainforest. At least seventy-five percent of its original forest cover is still standing, occupying vast, biologically rich tracts over 100,000 square miles in all. Its forests provide the habitat for about 200 species of mammals, 20,000 species of plants, 1,500 species of trees and 750 species of birds, half of which are endemic to the island. It has been estimated that between 5 and 7% of the known species in the world live in PNG. Rare plants and animals like the largest orchid, the largest butterfly, the longest lizard, the largest pigeon and the smallest parrot ever registered live in these forests. The forests also constitute the home of the indigenous peoples, the Maisin. For the Maisin, forests provide everything from food and medicinal plants, to materials for houses, canoes and tools. Under the Papua New Guinea constitution, the Maisin are the legal owners of their traditional lands. But these forests and forest peoples are under threat due to large-scale logging activities and oil palm plantations. Oil palm plantations are not aimed at the production of edible oil for the local population and almost the entire production is export-oriented. Resource Exploited Problems Created Groups For Groups Against Timber extraction e.g. Kiunga-Aiambak road project located in previously intact rainforests in
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